Public Works Division

FATS, OILS & GREASE
The Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) Reduction Program was implemented by the Public Service Department in order to monitor and reduce the amount of FOG that enters the City’s sanitary sewer system. The FOG program works to prevent sanitary sewer overflows (SSO), sewage spills, and sewer back-ups.

LEAF COLLECTION
Each fall, the City of Upper Arlington provides curbside leaf collection services, typically between mid-October and early December, to assist residents with the disposal of leaves. This program is one of the City’s signature services and, as a result, staff in the Public Works Division are dedicated solely to this task throughout the duration of the program. On average, crews collect approximately 20,000 cubic yards of leaves each season from the City’s 346 lane miles of roadway, enough to fill Ohio Stadium. In addition to the abundance of trees on private property, there are over 17,000 trees in the City right-of-way.

MOSQUITO CONTROL
Each year, the City takes an integrated approach to controlling the mosquito population. The combined efforts of the City, the UA Board of Health, Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) and residents are key to reducing mosquito populations. FCPH focuses on taking action in areas with a high incidence of mosquitoes testing positive for diseases such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and Encephalitis. It is hoped these efforts can break the disease cycle.

ROADS, CURBS & SIDEWALKS
The Public Works Division is responsible for the oversight of general annual roadway maintenance, to keep our roadways clean and in good working condition. Responsibilities include pothole repair, crack sealing, curb and pedestrian ramp repair, street painting and street signs.

SEWER & STORMWATER
The Public Works Division is dedicated to providing quality and professional research, investigation and repair of the community’s sanitary sewer, stormwater and potable water systems in the most efficient manner possible. The Sanitary Sewer System conveys all wastewater from homes and businesses to the Jackson Pike plant for treatment prior to being discharged into the Scioto River. The Storm Sewer System conveys rain water from roof tops and roadways directly to streams that discharge into the Scioto and Olentangy rivers without treatment. The Water Distribution System conveys potable water provided by the City of Columbus from the Dublin Road and Morse Road plants to the homes and businesses of Upper Arlington.

SNOW REMOVAL
The City of Upper Arlington provides one of the best snow removal services in Central Ohio with the aim of returning normal driving conditions to all City streets within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm. For operational purposes, a higher level of service and priority designation will be given first to arterial streets, then collector streets and finally residential streets. Arterials are the main thoroughfares in the City; collectors are the secondary streets as they carry traffic to the arterials.

STREET SWEEPING
The Public Works Division makes it a goal to sweep the City’s 150 miles of roadways at least three times per year. It can take anywhere between five-eight weeks to sweep the entire City depending on weather conditions. This process is part of the division’s overall efforts to keep Upper Arlington streets clean of sediment, leaves and other impediments to safe traffic and to keep debris out of the storm sewers, which lead directly to our waterways.